


i ask you again even though i know / is this how it ends?

by orphan_account



Series: rayllum prompts [5]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, i should just make a prompts book at this point, i wrote this ages ago i don't even remember what it's about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Because the hum of electricity in his veins and crackling in his ears and lightning in his fingers means something, it does, and so does Rayla, and Callum chooses to stay. Not for Rayla. Not for magic. For himself.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: rayllum prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1408975
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	i ask you again even though i know / is this how it ends?

**Author's Note:**

> *i wrote this so long ago (OMG I LOOKED IT UP AND I WROTE THIS IN JUNE LAST YEAR LMAO) and i just,,,, never posted it because i was going to use it for something else  
> *but then, in typical ella fashion, i abandoned that fic and so here we are

"She's right behind me!" he yells, pointing back at the doorway he just sprinted through and where an elven assassin with two pointy blades and ears is standing.

She flicks her blades into hooks and rushes forwards, charging at the guards in a fighting style he's never seen before, and he knows he should be running, he should be escaping while he has the chance, but her flip over the guards and knocking them onto their backs is mesmerizing to watch, even if said guards are supposed to be protecting him and she's made it past them.

"Hey," he can't help but call out, "you swept the leg!"

She turns around with a, "What?" and he's reminded of what she's there to do.

He stutters out, "Uh, nothing," then decides it's a good time to start running again. He rushes up the steps of a tower, the assassin hot on his heels, and he bursts through the door screaming for, "Lord Viren! Claudia! Anyone!"

But she knocks into his back, sending him flying forwards, hitting his head on a desk. He sits up and the assassin stalks forwards, the light from sunset streaming in behind her, and she says, "You don't have to die. There are only two targets tonight."

"Wait, two?" he questions. "What do you mean?"

"I'm here for the king," she replies. "And I'm also here for his son, Prince Ezran."

Callum's stomach drops and he can feel his heart speed up, panic rises in his chest because no, not his innocent little brother, and he finds himself arguing, "You can't. That's not fair. Why would you hurt someone who's done nothing wrong?"

"Humans cut down the King of the Dragons and destroyed his only egg," she yells, bringing her sword up to point at his neck, "the Dragon Prince. Justice will not be denied."

And something in her tone makes him think, maybe the way she jumped to defend her values, maybe the underlying anger in her voice, that maybe she won't do it at all. And even if she does, she won't do it to Ezran. Not the real Ezran.

Callum remembers how Ezran led him to raccoons supposedly with treasure and how he cried and cried when Callum accidentally stepped on a beetle and he made Callum jokingly do the Jerkface Dance when he only shared half of a jelly tart and made him do it seriously when he was being a jerk. There's so many happy memories, and he wants Ezran to have them all.

Ezran has to live, he has to; he has a kingdom to rule and a life to live, and there's no way he'll let the assassin steal that from him. Ezran is smart and brave and strong and innocent, and Callum is clumsy and shy, dumb and worth less. Ezran is the crown prince, Callum is the step-prince, the out-of-place-prince, the throw-away-prince, and if she thinks she can lay a hand on Ezran, she'll have to get through him.

Even if his heart speeds up and his survival instincts scream at him to stop.

"I see," he murmurs, because he does, he gets it, it's a cycle of revenge that's pointless and could be easily avoided, but he gets it, and he looks up at her with steel in his gaze and doesn't let his voice shake as he announces, "well then, you found me. I am Prince Ezran."

He's still scared as she moves forward, and he's still scared as she points her blades to his throat, but he thinks, if it'll save Ezran, it's worth it, no matter the price or the panic in his chest.

***

"It's life is fading quickly," Lujanne says, and Callum's heart sinks because no, no! They couldn't have done all this for nothing, they had to save it, they had to. "The only chance of saving it now would be to hatch it."

He can feel the group's spirts lift, even just a little, because there's a chance, they have a chance, but Lujanne bows her head and continues, "But that won't be possible. Sky dragons can only be born in the eye of a storm. The weather is clear for miles."

They look up at the sky, seeing stars in every direction, and Callum thinks no, no, there has to be something, some solution, some magic fix. Ezran voices it for him, "No... that can't be. There has to be a way to save it!"

Lujanne peers down at him and solemnly whispers, "I'm sorry."

The light fades from the egg, now a black void instead of a bright colors or even a dim light, and Callum feels his hands shake because no, no, the egg can't die, they've come so far to save it and done so much, sacrificed so much, and it can't be for this. It can't be.

"I dropped it," Rayla says. "This is all my fault."

And it is, technically, but Callum feels guilt settle in his stomach and he turns and says, "No, I should have trusted you. Things only went wrong because we kept fighting."

A tear rolls down Rayla's cheek and Callum wants to wipe it away, he doesn't want her to be sad, and she utters, "I let you both down. I let the world down."

"You tried, Rayla," Ezran assures, but he can't assure her past the cold reality of their situation, there's no way to make it all okay, and Ezran chokes back a sob and Callum's heart sinks because no, no, this can't be it, and Ezran continues, "You're so good and brave."

He walks forwards and wraps his stubby arms around her waist, and Callum thinks, no, no, there has to be a solution, there has to be! They couldn't have trekked all the way from Katolis, fought angry humans and water monsters and leeches and illusions, had Ezran nearly drown, have Rayla be prepared to lose her hand, and it couldn't be for nothing. It couldn't be for this.

And Callum thinks about all that they went through and how much Ezran and Rayla have given and how much he's taken away by arguing with her and not believing Ezran, and how every single time he's been selfish it ended badly; they tried to go to the Banther Lodge for his cube and he'd nearly gotten Rayla killed, they went on a boat because he told them it was easier and they nearly got eaten, he tried to be smart and come up with a plan and the leech had nearly destroyed them, and Callum wants to help, no, needs to help because he's done nothing but take away but they need a storm...

A storm.

"Wait a minute," he says at the realization. "It can only hatch... in a storm."

He peels off his backpack and looks at the egg void of life, and he thinks maybe, maybe, he can help. He holds the orb in his hand, the one that gave him power, the one that made him useful, the one that made him finally feel that he was worth something, and as it crackled with electricity he wondered, "What if I..."

He didn't want to lose his magic. He didn't want to smash the stone. Being a mage had felt so right, more right than anything else in his life and it made him feel safe and strong and for the first time in his life he felt he had a purpose, he was worth something, he wasn't disposable, and his heart clenched as he held the stone, not wanting to throw it away.

But he thinks back to when he was selfish and how his arguing with Rayla led to an avalanche and his choice to go back into the tower had nearly ended with his voice being stolen and Rayla and Ezran being discovered and how the egg nearly dying was his fault, if indirectly, and he thinks that the egg is worth it, they couldn't have done all this for nothing, and he declares, "I know what I have to do."

He hates it, he wants to feel the hum of power in his hand and electricity in his veins or clearness in his lungs when he casts a spell, and he doesn't want to let go of the one thread he's ever had, his one chance to be useful, but he thinks of how many problems his selfishness has caused, and he brings the stone up and throws it onto the ground with as much force as he can make.

And it's creates a storm that rips through his clothes and losing the orb puts a heaviness in his chest that wasn't there before, and Rayla goes after the egg when it nearly tumbled over the cliff side, and it's quiet for a bit once the storm dies down, and Callum worries he failed again and that it'll be for nothing again.

But then a crack goes through the center and a dragon pokes his head out, and Bait licks his eyes open and they're a brilliant blue, and the baby dragon is so full of energy and rips Rayla's binding off and licks Ezran's cheek and tells them his name, and Callum thinks, if losing his magic saves the dragon, then it's worth it, no matter the ache in his heart or longing in his soul and feeling that something is missing.

***

It's raining one night.

It's only a few hours after they returned Zym but god, it feels like ages, and she misses the energetic dragon a lot. It's strange without his presence around, no baby dragon bounding around her feet, no chittering sounds or flapping of wings. She misses it, she thinks, but she won't miss it for long.

Callum and her had talked about the Dragon Guard before. She'd gone through a lot to realize she isn't her parents and that their choices don't have to impact hers. Once the option was open, she had grown to love the idea of joining the guard.

But that would mean goodbye. She didn't like to think about that part.

Then the reality hit after they left the Dragon Queen's lair. She's been impressed with Callum's speech and confidence to stand up to the queen and the waves of relief she had felt when the queen agreed to try for a shot at peace were overpowering but dying out. They hadn't really discussed what would happen after they returned Zym and their quest was over; they figured they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

Well, they were at it.

And as the rain cascades down in icy drops and her hair sticks to her face and she hears the drip on the ground, she thinks she doesn't want to say goodbye. She really doesn't. The two of them had grown from enemies to friends to maybe something more and she didn't want to let it go. She really didn't.

But she understands that they have their own paths to chase. He has to return to Katolis and be by Ezran's side, and she has to find her own way in Xadia. Their paths don't align. Maybe they never did.

The dragon waits behind him, ready to fly him back to Katolis when he gives the word. She looks at him between strands of her hair in her eyes and she doesn't want him to leave, she really doesn't, but she swallows the wish in her throat and instead says, "I guess this is goodbye."

Callum nods, eyes as electric as ever, and replies, "Yeah, it is."

She's going to miss him, she realizes. She's going to miss his piercing gaze and dumb puns and nicknames and her having to drag him out of the way of trees while he was distracted drawing or huddling close by the fire and sharing little facts about themselves. There's so much she hasn't told him, so much he'll never know, and there's things he hasn't told her either, things she'll never know, and she wishes that he could stay so she could tell him.

But he looks at her and smiles quietly as the rain pounds and air rushes by, and without a word because he has none and she has none, he turns and takes a step away.

And she misses his green eyes and tousled hair and dopey smile already, and god, there's so much she wishes she could just say but things are difficult and words are difficult and she thinks that can't be the last she sees of him. She won't ever get to laugh at one of his jokes or make fun of his stupidity or put her hand on his shoulder in the dreary cave and have him say everything's okay and her agree. She'll miss it. She'll miss him.

Almost on its own accord, her voice says, "Callum."

He doesn't turn back, maybe because it's difficult, because things are difficult now, but he waits for her to say more. She can't find the words; they die in her throat and she moves her mouth a couple times with nothing more than an, "I--" repeated because that's all she has.

But Callum turns and strides over, close, very close, close enough to take a step close and press himself to her and he looks her dead in the eyes with his electric gaze and he murmurs, "Say it."

And the words build in her throat, so simple, so difficult to say, and he almost puts his forehead to her forehead like they used to do but he's not that close, just one more step and he would be, and she thinks three words, three simple words, three simple words so difficult to say.

She says them.

Just three words, three words to change everything, three words that catch in her throat, three words that make it past her lips and she stares, waiting for a reply. Callum steps back and she wants to reach out, don't leave, she thinks, and he steels her with his electric gaze as lightning flashes and the rain pounds and her hair sticks to eye face and she waits, patiently, for words that never come, a reply never spoken.

He never speaks, but he does reply.

He tastes like rain, because of course he would, and his hair is soft in her fingers and he fits against her like a puzzle piece and she loves it, she loves him, but there's a goodbye spoken in the action, she can feel it, and he's so close and she misses him. She misses his excitement and the light in his eyes and him tracing her hands to sketch and his smile with his telling that everything would be alright, and everything's not alright, not when he's leaving, because he made everything alright. He's the everything that's alright.

He presses his forehead to hers this time and she misses him and it breaks her heart, and he says, "I can't believe you are this fearless, epic, daring elven warrior, and you're in love with me."

Compliments rise to her mind, and she responds, "Well, you're the first human to connect to an arcanum, which means you're smart, brave, and strong."

He laughs a little and it sends shivers down her spin and butterflies to her stomach, and he brings his hand up to her chin and murmurs, "Can I kiss you again?"

She nods and replies, "Of course."

There's a void in her heart, one he fills with butterflies and his lips on hers, and she wishes she could explore this. They could explore this. There's so much there, so much history, so much chemistry, and now, they're going to miss it, just like she misses him.

She looks at him and maybe it's the rain, maybe it's her own tears, but for once her throat clears and the words come and she finds herself exclaiming, "I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to go!" he yells, and something stops, she's not sure what, and thunder booms and rain pounds, and she looks at him, no words in her throat, no replies in her mind.

"I gave myself up for Ezran because I knew that his life mattered more than mine," Callum murmurs, looking down at his feet. He breathes. "I smashed the primal stone because I knew Zym's life mattered more than my magic."

He looks up at her, gaze electric, and he says, "And being here in Xadia has made me realize I have never made a choice for myself."

He peers up at the sky, and a slight smile reaches his lips, and he says, "There's magic here. I can feel it. And if I can sense that..." he looks at her again, "then I think magic is worth chasing."

And it is, because the hum of electricity in his veins and crackling in his ears and lightning in his fingers means something, it does, and so does Rayla, and Callum chooses to stay. Not for Rayla. Not for magic. For himself.

Callum thinks, if staying in Xadia means being selfish for once in his life, it's worth it because the sky in his heart and magic in his mind is the thing he loves most.

**Author's Note:**

> *bye


End file.
